Produced by Coleman Hodges.
Reported by Tony Carroll.
Kelsi Worrell continued her meteoric rise to the top of the heap in women’s butterflying in the United States with a 58.86 to win the race in Charlotte. That’s not quite as fast as she was in Mesa a month ago, but she now has three of her four career best times in this event in the six weeks since the NCAA season ended.
Bahamian swimmer Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who trains with the home team SwimMAC Carolina, took 2nd place in 58.87. That crushes her own National Record of 59.67 done in this same pool in 2012. At that same meet in 2012, she was just 25.7 in the 50 free, so look for the sprint specialist to flirt with a 24-second clocking in that race later in the meet.
2012 U.S. Olympian Claire Donahue took 3rd in 59.32, with 15-year old phenomCassidy Bayer chasing behind her in 59.41.
Bayer has been spectacular from a very young age, beginning to run after some historic National Age Group Records as young as 12 years old. She’s fought all of the questions that always surround young stars, and has turned 2015 into her best season yet – with this swim, matched to her 59.31 from the Pro Swim Series – Austin meet in January, Bayer’s already gone the two best times of her career already this year.
Kentucky’s Christina Bechtel took 5th in 59.41, and Amanda Kendall was 6th in 1:00.11
Another SwimMAC trainee, Cammile Adams, won the B Final in 1:00.28. She’s primarily a 200 fly specialist, but she too is having a great season in this 100. Including her time from Friday evening, she now has swum the three fastest times of her career at three separate meets in 2015.
Too bad the best 100 fly US swimmer of the season so far will not represent her country at worlds next summer in that event.